Every evening, after dinner, Rascal’s owners take him on a half hour walk, then throw a Frisbee for him in their fenced back yard, then give him a Kong stuffed with treats in the family room. Yet despite the exercise, game and toy, Rascal becomes a licking, leaping, whining barnacle – when all his owners want to do is collapse in front of Modern Family.
Yes, they know Rascal is young (2 years old) and high energy (Border Collie mix), but still.
Rascal has this to say:
“I’ve been cooped up all day in the house with nothing to do. Hey! Look at me! Yeah, YOU. Pay attention!
NO NO DON’T sit down! Ah, geez. Alright, I know, I know, you’re tired.
But you have a free hand – USE it. Here – take this squeaky squirrel. Excuse the wet spots. C’mon, t
hrow it.
Oh, man, you can do better than that! Try again – don’t be such a wuss.”
“Hang on. I’ll be back. Gotta get a drink of water.”
“Okay, I’m ready. Look! I found that ball we lost the other day! This is too exciting!
Wait – I have to woof at it for a couple of minutes, I’m just so thrilled! Let me take it and run some laps with it.
Oops, sorry about the dining room chair. It kinda got in the way. Uh oh, my water dish is upside down. Whoa, that’s slippery. No worries, my paws will dry off on the carpet.”
“So seriously, can we play some more now? Huh? Can we? Pretty please?”
Some dog owners worry that their dogs NEED tons of attention, sometimes more than they feel capable of giving.
Yet Rascal’s owners know that their dog will eventually calm down, will concentrate on excavating the goodies from his Kong, and will settle in for the night. If they give in to his demands for attention, it will take him even longer to chill out. By keeping to a routine that includes plenty of exercise, Rascal will figure out that hanging with the family means quiet time as well as play time.
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